Effectiveness of protected areas in conserving tropical forest birds

Abstract Protected areas (PAs) are the cornerstones of global biodiversity conservation efforts, but to fulfil this role they must be effective at conserving the ecosystems and species that occur within their boundaries. Adequate monitoring datasets that allow comparing biodiversity between protected and unprotected sites are lacking in tropical regions. Here we use the largest citizen science biodiversity dataset – eBird – to quantify the extent to which protected areas in eight tropical forest biodiversity hotspots are effective at retaining bird diversity. We find generally positive effects of protection on the diversity of bird species that are forest-dependent, endemic to the hotspots, or threatened or Near Threatened, but not on overall bird species richness. Furthermore, we show that in most of the hotspots examined this benefit is driven by protected areas preventing both forest loss and degradation. Our results provide evidence that, on average, protected areas contribute measurably to conserving bird species in some of the world’s most diverse and threatened terrestrial ecosystems.

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Effectiveness of protected areas in conserving tropical forest birds

10.1101/2020.01.21.912345 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Victor Cazalis ◽

Karine Princé ◽

Jean-Baptiste Mihoub ◽

Joseph Kelly ◽

Stuart H.M. Butchart ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Bird Species ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Forest Birds ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Global Biodiversity ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

AbstractProtected areas are the cornerstones of global biodiversity conservation efforts1,2, but to fulfil this role they must be effective at conserving the ecosystems and species that occur within their boundaries. This is particularly imperative in tropical forest hotspots, regions that concentrate a major fraction of the world’s biodiversity while also being under intense human pressure3–5. But these areas strongly lack adequate monitoring datasets enabling to contrast biodiversity in protected areas with comparable unprotected sites6,7. Here we take advantage of the world’s largest citizen science biodiversity dataset – eBird8 – to quantify the extent to which protected areas in eight tropical forest biodiversity hotspots are effective at retaining bird diversity, and to understand the underlying mechanisms. We found generally positive effects of protection on the diversity of bird species that are forest-dependent, endemic to the hotspots, or threatened or Near Threatened, but not on overall bird species richness. Furthermore, we show that in most of the hotspots examined this is driven by protected areas preventing both forest loss and degradation. Our results support calls for increasing the extent and strengthening the management efforts within protected areas to reduce global biodiversity loss9–11.

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Success in conserving the bird diversity in tropical forests through private protected areas in Western Ecuador

Neotropical Biology and Conservation ◽

10.3897/neotropical.16.e63414 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 351-367

Author(s):

José Guerrero-Casado ◽

José Manuel Seoane ◽

Nikolay Aguirre ◽

Jeronimo Torres-Porras

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Tropical Forests ◽

National Level ◽

Bird Species ◽

Specific Region ◽

The State ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Bird Conservation ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Private Protected Areas

Private protected areas have recently attained more importance at a worldwide level as regards nature conservation. Particularly, the specific region of Western Ecuador receives hardly any protection from the State, and private reserves could, therefore, be a suitable tool to ensure the preservation of its forests and their associated wildlife biodiversity. In this work, we compare the bird species richness between private reserves and public protected areas (managed by the State) located in this region. We also show a checklist of bird species found in the Buenaventura Reserve, a private reserve located in south-western Ecuador. Our comparison shows that smaller private reserves may harbour a similar number of bird species than larger protected areas managed by the state, and they have a higher number of bird species per area. In particular, a total of 233 different bird species were registered in Buenaventura, which were distributed in 16 orders and 42 families. Three species were classified as endangered at an international level: El Oro Parakeet (Pyrrhura orcesi), El Oro Tapaculo (Scytalopus robbinsi), and the Grey-backed Hawk (Pseudastur occidentalis), and another three at a national level: the Long-wattled Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus penduliger), the Slaty-winged Foliage-gleaner (Philydor fuscipenne), and the White-vented Plumeleteer (Chalybura buffonii). Therefore, private reserves can be appreciated as a suitable conservation tool for bird conservation, and they should not be undervalued because of their smaller size. Buenaventura Reserve is a good example of how private reserves are extremely important in fragmented landscapes, as is the case with tropical forests in Western Ecuador.

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Does the invasion of Northern Red Oak Quercus rubra in parkland influence the diversity of birds?

Biologia ◽

10.1515/biolog-2017-0022 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 72 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Emilia Grzędzicka ◽

Katarzyna Kowalik ◽

Barbara Bacler-Żbikowska

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Bird Species ◽

Coal Industry ◽

Alien Plants ◽

Forest Birds ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Red Oak ◽

Northern Red Oak ◽

Alien Plant Species ◽

Alien Plant

AbstractInvasive plants are non-native, but in most cases naturalised, species that have successfully spread outside of their native range. Aliens invaded all habitats, are competing with native plants, thus, after the direct destruction of habitats, invasions are recognised as the second largest danger for biodiversity. Northern Red Oak is one of the most common invasive tree species dispersed primarily by birds, but new studies have shown that it is also spread continuously in a forest stand. The main aim of our research was to check how strong is the invasion of Northern Red Oak in Silesia Park, where it was introduced together with other alien plant species, and how this invasion interacts with bird diversity. Silesia Park was created 65 years ago on the surface largely ravaged by coal industry. Because many studies indicate birds as vectors of alien plants invasion, we examined the bird fauna in a described area, looking for species that can contribute to spreading oaks. Research showed the diversity of 50 bird species. Surface with a presence of Northern Red Oak was characterised by greater participation of alien plant species than the patch of natural forest, which existed there long before the park creation. The greatest bird diversity was found in the most natural part of Silesia Park, and the lowest in the area of invasion, especially in the case of species classified as “forest birds”. The presence of alien plants increased number of “non-forest” birds, mostly synanthropic species. We also found that Northern Red Oak spreads by spontaneous seed dispersal.

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Congruence between breeding and wintering biodiversity hotspots: A case study in farmlands of Western Poland

European Journal of Ecology ◽

10.2478/eje-2018-0014 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 75-83

Author(s):

Federico Morelli ◽

Zbigniew Kwieciński ◽

Piotr Indykiewicz ◽

Łukasz Jankowiak ◽

Paweł Szymański ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Bird Species ◽

Bird Community ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Human Beings ◽

Complete Representation ◽

Evolutionary Distinctiveness

Abstract Farmland landscapes are recognized as important ecosystems, not only for their rich biodiversity but equally so for the human beings who live and work in these places. However, biodiversity varies among sites (spatial change) and among seasons (temporal change). In this work, we tested the hypothesis that bird diversity hotspots distribution for breeding is congruent with bird diversity hotspots for wintering season, focusing also the representation of protected areas for the conservation of local hotspots. We proposed a framework based on the use of species richness, functional diversity, and evolutionary distinctiveness to characterize avian communities. Although our findings show that the spatial distribution of local bird hotspots differed slightly between seasons, the protected areas’ representation was similar in both seasons. Protected areas covered 65% of the most important zones for breeding and 71% for the wintering season in the farmland studied. Functional diversity showed similar patterns as did bird species richness, but this measure can be most effective for highlighting differences on bird community composition. Evolutionary distinctiveness was less congruent with species richness and functional diversity, among seasons. Our findings suggest that inter-seasonal spatial congruence of local hotspots can be considered as suitable areas upon which to concentrate greater conservation efforts. However, even considering the relative congruence of avian diversity metrics at a local spatial scale, simultaneous analysis of protected areas while inter-seasonally considering hotspots, can provide a more complete representation of ecosystems for assessing the conservation status and designating priority areas.

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Low effect on open-farmland birds of young afforestations in heterogeneous Mediterranean croplands

10.7287/peerj.preprints.448 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Juan S. Sánchez-Oliver ◽

José M. Rey Benayas ◽

Luis M. L.M. Carrascal

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Bird Species ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Tree Plantations ◽

Conservation Value ◽

Farmland Birds ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Positive Effects ◽

The One

Afforestation programs such as the one promoted by the EU Common Agricultural Policy have spread tree plantations on former cropland. These afforestations attract generalist forest and ubiquitous species but may cause severe damage to open habitat species, especially birds of high conservation value. We investigated the effects of young (< 20 yr) tree plantations dominated by pine P. halepensis on bird communities inhabiting the adjacent open farmland habitat in central Spain. We hypothesize that pine plantations with larger surface, and areas at shorter distances from plantations, would result in lower bird species richness and conservation value of open farmland birds. Regression models controlling for the influence of land use types around plantations revealed significant positive effects of distance to pine plantation edge on community species richness in winter, and negative effects on an index of conservation concern (SPEC) during the breeding season. However, plantation area did not have any effect on species richness or community conservation value. Our results indicate that pine afforestation of Mediterranean cropland in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes has an overall low detrimental effect on bird species that are characteristic of open farmland habitat.

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Altitudinal patterns in breeding bird species richness and density in relation to climate, habitat heterogeneity, and migration influence in South Korea

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26468v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jin-Yong Kim ◽

Sanghun Lee ◽

Man-Seok Shin ◽

Chang-Hoon Lee ◽

Changwan Seo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

South Korea ◽

Habitat Heterogeneity ◽

Bird Species ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Spring Temperature ◽

Breeding Bird ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Main Driver ◽

And Migration

Altitudinal patterns in the population ecology of mountain bird species are useful for predicting species occurrence and behavior. Numerous hypotheses about the complex interactions among environmental factors have been proposed; however, these remain controversial. This study investigated the causes of altitudinal patterns in breeding bird species richness and density in relation to climate, habitat heterogeneity, and migration influence in Jirisan National Park, South Korea. We conducted a field survey of 142 plots at altitudes between 200 and 1400 m above mean sea level in the breeding season. A total of 2771 individuals from 53 breeding bird species were recorded. Altitudinal patterns of species richness and density showed a hump-shaped pattern, indicating that the highest richness and density could be observed at moderate altitudes. Models constructed with 16 combinations of six variables demonstrated that species richness was positively correlated with vertical and horizontal habitat heterogeneity, and that density was positively correlated with vertical, but not horizontal, habitat heterogeneity, and negatively correlated with migrant rate. No significant relationships were found between spring temperature and species richness or density. Therefore, the observed patterns in species richness support the hypothesis that habitat heterogeneity, rather than climate, is the main driver of species richness. And neither habitat heterogeneity nor climate hypotheses fully explains the observed patterns in density. However, vertical habitat heterogeneity does likely help explain observed patterns in density. The heterospecific attraction hypothesis did not apply to the distribution of birds along the altitudinal gradient. Appropriate management of vertical habitat heterogeneity, such as vegetation cover, should be maintained for the conservation of bird diversity in this area.

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Avifaunal Composition of Jawaharlal Nehru University Campus, New Delhi

Current World Environment ◽

10.12944/cwe.12.2.15 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 317-325

Author(s):

Manoj Singh ◽

Krishan Kumar ◽

T. K. Roy ◽

Yashmita Ulman

Keyword(s):

Bird Species ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

New Delhi ◽

University Campus ◽

Resident Species ◽

Natural Ecosystems ◽

Line Transects ◽

Jawaharlal Nehru ◽

Near Threatened

The Jawaharlal Nehru University campus is a unique campus which habours not only the natural ridge ecosystem but also a huge avifaunal biodiversity. The survey was done for a period of three years from January 2013 to December 2016. Data was collected using line transects in different habitats all across the campus. A total of 114 bird species belonging to 19 orders and 52 families were identified during the study period, including 3 near threatened species, 2 vagrants, 3 summer visitors, 4 passage migrants, 26 winter visitors and 79 resident species. Of these, 47 species were insectivorous, 33 species were omnivorous, 14 species were carnivorous, 7 species were frugivorous, 6 species were gramnivorous, 4 species were herbivorous, 2 species were piscivorous and 1 species was nectarivorous. It was observed that the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus supported very rich and diverse avian fauna assemblages all year round due to the presence of the ridge ecosystems. Long-term conservation programmes must be adopted in order to protect the natural ecosystems and bird diversity present in the campus.

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Tropical forest remnants as shelters of avian diversity within a tourism development matrix in Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v66i2.33410 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 799

Author(s):

Jorge E. Ramírez-Albores ◽

Marlín Pérez-Suárez

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Bird Species ◽

Tourism Development ◽

Bird Community ◽

Quintana Roo ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Point Counts ◽

Land Use Types ◽

Forest Remnants

Tropical forests have undergone extensive transformation because of increasing tourism development, in addition to historic clearing for agricultural and cattle grazing activities. Altogether, these activities have had an important effect on bird diversity, reducing the habitat available to many species. In this study, the role of tropical forest remnants located between different land use types was evaluated for species diversity, composition, and distribution of the bird community at Akumal region in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Point counts were used to quantify the avifauna by habitat, and Shannon´s and Simpson´s diversity index were used to determine bird diversity. Additionally, bird species were classified according to seasonality and trophic guild by type of habitat. A total of 160 species and 50 families was recorded, of which 100 species were permanent residents, 47 winter visitors and 11 transients. Mature tropical forest and tropical forest remnants had higher species richness than those of modified environments. This study supports the importance of tropical forest remnants as shelters for bird species in landscapes with tourism developments, and the relevance of these remnants to maintaining high bird diversity. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(2): 799-813. Epub 2018 June 01.

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Birds of sacred groves of northern Kerala, India

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.2463.7.15.8226-8236 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (15) ◽

pp. 8226

Author(s):

K. M. Jyothi ◽

P. O. Nameer

Keyword(s):

Migratory Birds ◽

Bird Species ◽

Forest Birds ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

Cultural Tradition ◽

Sacred Grove ◽

Sacred Groves ◽

Spiritual Beliefs ◽

Scientific Exploration ◽

The Western Ghats

Sacred groves are patches of vegetation preserved due to religious or cultural tradition. They are protected through spiritual beliefs. Sacred groves provide an excellent abode to the biodiversity of the region where they are located. Scientific exploration of fauna from sacred groves of India is few and far between. The present study was conducted to explore the bird diversity and abundance in 15 selected sacred groves of northern Kerala, eight from Kannur District and seven from Kasargod District each. A total of 111 bird species were observed belonging to 49 families and 16 orders. The sacred groves of northern Kerala support many of the ‘forest-birds’ such as the Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii, Asian Fairy-bluebird Irena puella, Tickell’s Blue-flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae, Malabar Trogon Harpactes fasciatus, Heart-spotted Woodpecker Hemicircus canente, Malabar Whistling-Thrush Myophonus horsfieldii, Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra, etc. The sacred groves of northern Kerala also support two endemic bird species of the Western Ghats, such as the Malabar Grey Hornbill Ocyceros griseus and Rufous Babbler Turdoides subrufa. Five species of raptors and four owl species were reported from the sacred groves of north Kerala during the present study. The breeding of the White-bellied Sea-Eagle has been reported at Edayilakadu Kavu, a sacred grove in Kasargod District. The sacred groves of northern Kerala also supported 17 species of long distant migratory birds. Thazhe Kavu, recorded the Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, a Near-Threatened bird according to IUCN.<div> </div>

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A RAPID BIRD SURVEY TO CONSERVATION AREA OF INDUSTRIAL ACACIA TIMBER PLANTATION, SOUTH SUMATRA PROVINCE; WITH COMPARISON TO THREE DIFFERENT METHODS

BIOVALENTIA Biological Research Journal ◽

10.24233/biov.2.2.2016.41 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Muhammad Iqbal ◽

Indra Yustian ◽

Doni Setiawan ◽

Rio Firman Saputra ◽

Catur Yuono Prasetyo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Survey Methods ◽

Bird Species ◽

Bird Diversity ◽

International Union ◽

Conservation Area ◽

Swamp Forest ◽

Number Of Species ◽

Transect Line ◽

Bird Survey ◽

Near Threatened

A rapid bird survey was done in a small conservation area of industrial timber concession of PT BMH (Bumi Mekar Hijau), namely KPPN (Kawasan Pelestarian Plasma Nutfah), South Sumatra Province. The area has 448 ha, dominated by degraded secondary swamp forest surrounded by Acacia plantation. Three survey methods were applied to assess bird diversity in this area: transect line, mist-netting and audio-visual station recording. A total of 36 species was recorded during survey. Among three methods applied, transect line is the most effective method to detect more bird species (29 species), followed by audio-visual station recording (26 species) and mist-netting (three species). There are eight species which protected by Indonesian law and two birds are listed as Near Threatened (NT) by International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN. Although number of species birds recorded are not significance, but this area still support habitat for various birds diversity, and the forest remaining should be well-managed to support its conservation goals.

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